Barrel supporting and handling device



June 20, 1933. 1,914,656

A. C. WALKER BARREL SUPPORTING AND HANDLING DEVICE I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed Sept. 30, 1931 FZCiI.

n m l mum! In l HIIIHII nm mml WI TNBSES June 20, 1933.

A. C. WALKER BARREL SUPPORTING AND HANDLING DEVICE Filed Sept. 30, 19512 Sheets-Sheget 2 B WI TNESSES 1N VENTOR: 14m admlicezg Patented June20, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT nearer.

ALAN C. WALKER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNGR TO THE AMERICANPULLEY OOIVIPANY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENN-SYLVANIA BARREL SUPPORTING AND HANDLING DEVICE Application filedSeptember 30, 1981.

This invention relates to devices for sup porting and handling barrelsor drums, filled with fluid such as lubricating oils and the like.

My invention is in part directed toward the provision of a simple andineXpensiVe device of the kind referred to, which is capable ofsupporting a barrel or drum either in horizontal or upright position andat a suitable elevation for the purposes of ready drainage; and whichhas incorporated with it means whereby the barrel or drum may be raisedfrom the ground with the utmost ease and with expenditure of a minimumof effort, to

place it in either of the two positions mentioned.

A further aim of my invention is to provide a device of the specifiedcharacter which may be utilized as a handling means for lifting barrels,through progressive stages, from the ground to higher levels and viceversa, for example incident to loading or unloading wagons or trucks.

Another object of my invention is to attain, in a barrel supporting andhandling device having the recited attributes, the advantage ofmanufacturing economy, and the rigidity and lightness inherent toconstruction from metal.

Still other objects and attendant advantages will be manifest from thedetailed description following in connection with the attached drawings,wherein Fig. I shows a plan view of a barrel supporting and han dlingdevice conveniently embodying my invention.

Fig. II is a side elevation of the device.

Fig. III is an elevation of the device looking from the left asconsidered in Figs. I and Fig. IV is a perspective View showing how thedevice is manipulated incident to raising a barrel to upright position;and,

Fig. V is a side elevation of the device with the barrel supported inupright position.

In the illustrated embodiment, the barrel supporting and handling deviceof my invention has the form' of a cradle 6 with a perpendicular headportion 7 at one end thereof, the whole being constructed, in the SerialNo. 586,039.

present instance, from structural iron. As shown, the cradle properconsists of a pair of suitably-spaced transversely-arrangedcrescent-shaped rocker members 8 and 9 made up respectively of curvedsegments 8a, 8b and 9a, 9?) of channel and bar iron connected end toend, with the broad faces of the channels outermost. These transversemembers 8 and 9, are joined at their central regions by a pair oflongitudinal runners 1O likewise of channel iron with their broad facesoutermost, as well as by a pair of supplemental longitudinals 12 of barstock. From Figs. III and IV it will be observed that the curvedsegments 8?) and 9b of the transverse members 8 and 9 j ointlvconstitute a concave barrel engaging surface in eccentric relation to aconvex rocking surface jointly afiorded by the curved segments 8a and9a. The runners 10, on the other hand, jointly provide a longitudinalground-engaging flat to stabilize the device with a barrel B supportedhorizontally thereon as in Figs. II and III.

The runners 10, it will be noted, are symmetrically divergent rearwardly(toward the right in Figs. I and II) from the points of their connectionto the rocker member 8, and extended beyond the rocker member 9 wherethey are bent at right angles with formation of well rounded curves 13be tween their straight extremities 10a, 10b. Extending perpendicularlyfrom the straight segments 10a of the runners 1O somewhat forward of therocker member 9, are upright bar members 14c which are joined with thesegments 106 at the top by longitudinals 15, and at intermediate pointsby supplemental longitudinals 16. The upright bars 14: are moreoverconnected transversely of the upper ends by an angle bar 17; whilecrossed tie straps 18 and 19 extending diagonally between thelongitudinals 15 lend rigidity to the head 7 of the cradle. Althoughrivets may be employed to permanently secure the various components ofthe device together in the relation described, for the sake of economyin manufacture, I prefer to weld them together.

The use of the device is as follows: Assuming the barrel or drum B to behorizontal- 1y on the ground as shown in dot and dash lines at B in Fig.III, the device is brought up so that the curved segments 8?) and 9b ofthe rocker members 8 and 9 engage the barrel side, and the head 7 of thecradle con tacts with the corresponding end of the said barrel. Thecradle is thereupon rocked transversely through an angle of 90 to thefull line position of Fig. III with the flats of the runners 1O restingon the ground to maintain the device in stable equilibrium andsupporting the barrel B horizontally at a sufficient elevation to permitready drainage thereof from its forward end.

If upright placement of the barrel is desired for the purpose ofdraining it, the cradle 6 is rocked longitudinally on the anglecurvatures 13 of its runners 10 from the full line horizontal positionof Figs. II and III and through the position of Fig. IV to the verticalposition of Fig. V. As a result, the straight perpendicular extremities10b of the runners 10 are brought into contact with the ground tomaintain the cradle in stable equilibrium with the barrel B supported onend by the cradle head 7, likewise at an elevation convenient for thepurpose aforementioned. To facilitate the last described maneuver, Iprovide a manipulating implement such. as shown at 20 in Figs. IV and V.This implement comprises an elongate lever handle 21 made from a lengthof tubing or piping, with a claw 22 at the bottom end thereof forengaging the curved segment 8a of the rocker member 8 of the cradle onthe in side at the center. A cross piece 23, secured to the handle 21somewhat above the claw 22 and reinforced by angularly placed braces 24,is adapted to concurrently engage the segment 8a of the rocker member 8at two points remote from the center of the latter. After application ofthe implement'20 to the cradle 6 while the latter is in the horizontalposi tion of Figs. II and III, the handle 21 is simply raised after themanner illustrated in Fig. IV. As a consequence of the leverage affordedby the implement 20, the operation of raising the barrel B to uprightposition as hereinbefore described, is obviously rendered very easy ofaccomplishment with a minimum of exertion.

Attention is directed to the fact that the spacing of thepcrpendiculars' 14 and the crosswise angle bar 17 of the head 7 relativeto the perpendicular extremities 10b of the runners 10 is greater thanthe spacing of the arcuate segments 8a, 9a and 8b, 9b of the two rockermembers 8 and 9. The device can accordingly be utilized as a means forprogressivelylifting barrels to higher levels incident to loading trucksor wagons.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A barrel handling device having the form of a cradle with a convexrocking surface, and a registering concave barrel-engaging surface ineccentric relation to said rocking surface, whereby, when transverserocking motion is imparted to the device, the barrel is liftedhorizontally from the ground to a higher elevation, and means enablinglongitudinal rocking motion of the device to raise the barrel to ahigher level.

2. A barrel handling device having the form of a cradle with a convexrocking surface, a concave barrel-engaging surface in eccentric relationto the rocking surface, and

'a perpendicular head portion at one end mcrgent with the cradle properthrough a corner rounding, whereby, when transverse rocking motion isimparted to the device, the barrel is lifted horizontally from theground to a higher elevation, and when longitudinal rocking motion issubsequently imparted to the device about the corner roundingsaforesaid, the barrel is finally lifted upright to a still higher leveland supported on the head of the cradle.

3. A barrel supporting and handling device in the form of a cradlehaving a transverse convex rocking surface with a central flat and aregistering concave barrel-engaging surface in eccentric relation to therocking surface, whereby when a ninety degree rocking movement isimparted to the device, the barrel is lifted horizontally from theground to a higher level with the cradle resting in stable equilibriumon the central flat of the convex rocking surface aforesaid, and meansenabling longitudinal rocking motion of the device to raise the barrelto a higher level.

4. A barrel supporting and handling device in the form of a cradlehaving a convex rocking surface with a central longitudinal fiat, aconcave barrel-engaging surface in eccentric relationto the rockingsurface, and a perpendicular head portion at one end mergent with thecentral longitudinal flat of the rocking surface through a cornerrounding, whereby, when transverse rocking movement is imparted to thedevice, the barrel is lifted horizontally from the ground to a higherlevel with the cradle resting in stable equilibrium on the central fiatof its rocking surface, and when longitudinal movement is subsequentlyimparted to the device about the corner rounding aforesaid, the barrelis lifted upright and supported in stable equilibrium upon the aforesaidend portion of the cradle.

5. A barrel supporting and handling device in the form of a cradleconstructed from structural iron with a number of similartransversely-arranged crescent-shaped rocker members jointly affording aconvex rocking surface and a concave barrel-engaging surface ineccentric relation to the rocking surface, and a pair of longitudinalconnecting runners jointly providing a central fiat in the rockingsurface aforesaid to stabilize the cradle in horizontal position Withthe barrel supported thereon at an elevation.

6. A barrel supporting and handling device in the form of a cradleconstructed from structural iron With a number of similartransversely-arranged crescent-shaped rocker members jointly affording aconvex rocking surface and concave barrel-engaging surface in eccentricrelation to the said rocking surface, and a pair of connecting runnersjointly providing a flat centrally of the rocking surface to stabilizethe cradle in horizontal position with the barrel supported thereon atan elevation, the said runners being bent at right angles through cornerroundings to form in conjunction with supplemental verticals andlongitudinals a perpendicular head portion for one end of the cradleadapted to support the barrel upright likewise at an elevation from theground when said cradle is raised on end.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name at Philadelphia,Pennsyl- Vania, this 19th day of Sept. 1981.

ALAN C. WALKER.

